Snowboard-cross World Cup globes awarded

The winners of the Para snowboard-cross World Cup were decided on Friday (10 March) as the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games Test Event got underway.

One of the closest races for the prized globes came in the women’s SB-LL1. France’s Cecile Hernandez-Cervellon defeated the USA’s reigning world champion Brenna Huckaby in the big final. The win was enough to give the French rider the snowboard-cross World Cup title by just 200 points.

It was a US-showdown in the small final, with Amy Purdy defeating last season’s globe winner Nicole Roundy for the bronze medal. Roundy still came in with enough points to hold onto third in the snowboard-cross rankings.

The Netherlands’ Paralympic and world champion Bibian Mentel-Spee beat out Australian Joany Badenhorst in the women’s SB-LL2 big final. But Badenhorst’s runner-up finish was just what she needed to secure the World Cup snowboard-cross title.

Dutch rider Lisa Bunschoten defeated Spain’s Astrid Fina Paredes in the small final to finish second and third, respectively, in the snowboard-cross rankings.

The USA’s Mike Minor had already secured the men’s snowboard-cross SB-UL title before arriving in PyeongChang.

The big final and race for second place in the rankings was at stake on Friday, with Italy’s Manuel Pozzerle defeating France’s Maxime Montaggioni in the big final. By a slim 40 points, Pozzerle bettered Italian Jacopo Luchini in the rankings. Canada’s Curtis Minard defeated compatriot Andrew Genge in the small final.

Despite a sixth-place finish, the USA’s Evan Strong still scored the necessary points to add the snowboard-cross SB-LL2 globe to his silver medal from the 2017 World Championships in Big White, Canada.

Finland’s double-world champion from Big White Matti Suur-Hamari defeated the USA’s Keith Gabel in the big final for third and second in the rankings, respectively.

Japanese newcomer Gurimu Narita concluded a strong debut season by winning the small final over Australia’s Ben Tudhope for third in the race.

With the USA’s Mark Mann already securing the men’s SB-LL1 globe, the race was on for second. The Netherlands’ teenage world champion Chris Vos bested Austria’s Reinhold Schett in the big final. The victory gave Vos 200 points over Schett to finish second in the standings.

The USA’s Tyler Burdick defeated Austria’s Rene Eckhart to complete the race podium.

Complete snowboard-cross results from the World Para Snowboard World Cup Finals, as well as updated rankings, can be found at www.worldparasnowboard.com.

Competition will conclude on Monday (13 March), where the banked slalom World Cup winners will be decided.